New details have emerged regarding the organisation of the North East India Festival in Singapore, the event Zubeen Garg was scheduled to headline before his death. According to reports, the festival was organised by the Indian High Commission in Singapore under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), with the Assam government kept in the loop months in advance.
Correspondence accessed by reporters indicates that the High Commission had reached out to the Assam government in April, ahead of the September festival. A letter sent to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 29 invited him to attend the inauguration as a guest alongside diplomats, entrepreneurs and cultural groups. The communication also reportedly requested financial assistance from the state government for the event.
Following the invitation, the Chief Minister marked the letter to his Principal Secretary with the note, “Please speak,” directing further coordination. Officials later forwarded the matter to the East Policy Division and were asked to liaise with the MEA for required guidance.
The documents highlight two points: the festival was hosted by the Indian High Commission with Shyamkanu Mahanta serving as chief coordinator, and the Assam government was informed about the event several months before it took place.
The MEA, whose Minister of State is Pabitra Margherita, has reportedly declined to disclose additional information about the festival in response to a Right to Information query, citing the ongoing investigation into Zubeen Garg’s death.
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Public scrutiny around the festival has intensified after the singer died in a drowning incident during an unplanned yacht outing in Singapore. Mahanta and Garg’s manager, Siddharth Sharma, have since been arrested and are currently in judicial custody in Baksa.
Both men have been accused of negligence, and police have added multiple charges during the investigation. One of Garg’s bandmates, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami, who is also in custody, has alleged that Mahanta and Sharma may have poisoned the singer — a claim that investigators are examining. Others have questioned whether the organisers adequately considered Garg’s medical vulnerabilities while managing his schedule abroad.
Mahanta has denied wrongdoing, saying no unsafe outing was arranged by his team and that Garg acted on his own decisions. The Assam government has ordered a judicial inquiry, and the Chief Minister has said the chargesheet will be filed soon.
Zubeen Garg’s death has triggered widespread anger and grief across the state, with many demanding accountability from those involved in organising the festival. For fans, colleagues and cultural stakeholders, the incident has raised broader concerns about safety, oversight and the responsibility of organisers when leading artists travel for international events.
Also read | Assam Congress to host ‘Kanchanjungha’ tribute on Zubeen Garg’s birth anniversary